Turnbull gives party room a say on energy

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insists the coalition party room will get a chance to weigh in on a proposed new energy policy after it has been signed off by the states and territories.

Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg is taking the national energy guarantee to the states for their agreement, but former prime minister Tony Abbott wants MPs to have a say on the final deal in the party room before it goes to parliament.

"Any legislation that is required relating to the national energy guarantee will come to the party room in the usual way," Mr Turnbull told reporters in Canberra on Thursday.

The policy does not subsidise any particular form of generation, while requiring generators to deliver affordable and reliable power that meets emissions targets.

Cabinet minister Peter Dutton is confident his conservative colleagues will eventually fall into line with the government's energy policy.

Mr Abbott threatened to vote against his own government to sink the national energy guarantee.

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"The government is working on getting prices down; we're seeing - after prices had risen by over 100 per cent under Labor - they are starting to come down," Mr Dutton told 2GB radio.

"We're seeing an issue around reliability, we're addressing that issue, and we're saying if you want to introduce renewables you've got to have baseload which includes coal and gas and other measures."

Mr Abbott has been campaigning to build a new coal-fired power station and is ramping up his efforts to change the coalition's energy plans.

"I hope it doesn't come to questions of crossing the floor, I really do. It's not something that any Liberal would lightly do," Mr Abbott told 2GB on Wednesday.

"But I don't think we can be expected to support a policy that will continue to drive prices up and which will deny our industries the affordable 24/7 power they need for jobs to continue."

Mr Abbott and several other pro-coal MPs are demanding the national energy guarantee focus less on emissions.

Many in the Nationals partyroom also oppose the policy, demanding the government intervene more directly in the market to lower power prices.

Nationals frontbencher Keith Pitt warned at least seven of the 21 Nationals MPs - and potentially more - had serious concerns with the national energy guarantee.

Instead, they want a cap imposed on wholesale power prices and for the government to fund a "clean coal" power station, the Australian Financial Review reports.